A US woman who shot and killed her husband and two adult children before taking her own life is thought to have committed the shocking crime as a result of being ostracised from the religion she was raised in.

A federal judge sentenced a former Arkansas judge Wednesday to five years in prison — a stiffer punishment than prosecutors recommended — after he admitted giving young male defendants lighter sentences in return for personal benefits that included sexual favours.

Every time I tell a mate I’m doing a story on cryptocurrency, they invariably ask me the same two questions: should they invest their own hard-earned money, and which cryptocurrency will get them a Lamborghini/yacht/island quickest?

In a 60 Minutes online exclusive, reporter Liz Hayes quizzed Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on his relationship with the unpredictable Twitter aficionado and US president Donald Trump ahead of their meeting at the White House Friday.

Aust, NZ budgets no comparison, Swan says

New Zealand is forecasting a budget surplus a year earlier than Australia but Treasurer Wayne Swan says he is "completely dumbfounded" anyone would suggest that was because of a better economic performance.

NZ Finance Minister Bill English handed down his 2013 budget on Thursday, just two days after Mr Swan had handed down his Australian version.

Mr English confirmed the government will achieve a surplus in 2014/15, albeit a slim $NZ75 million ($A63.08 million).

In contrast, Mr Swan has pushed back his forecast of a balanced budget to 2015/16, rather than returning one this financial year as previously promised.

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey used parliamentary question time to point out the release of the NZ budget.

"How can the Australian treasurer insist that the government's budget of deficits, higher unemployment and slower economic growth is unavoidable when New Zealand has been able to deliver an earlier surplus without a major resources industry and a strong New Zealand dollar," he said.

Even including state and local government debt, Australia's consolidated government debt is only around 25 per cent of GDP.

"The median level for the 14 sovereigns that we rate Aaa is 50 per cent, and Australia has the lowest debt level of any Aaa-rated sovereign with the exception of Luxembourg," Mr Hess said in an analysis released on Thursday.

Even so, Nationals Leader Warren Truss told parliament that under a Labor government there would never by a surplus.

"The current treasurer is pathologically incapable of doing it," Mr Truss said.